One of the Biggest Hollywood Stars Ended Up on Friends Because of a Lost Bet
Actors choose to take on roles for various reasons.
They may be captivated by the material, hooked by the character, or, cynically, may just do it for the money. But rarely an actor will accept a job for the far more humorous reason of having lost a bet. And that is exactly what happened to Hollywood A-lister, Bruce Willis.
Fans of the legendary actor will recall his role as surprisingly endearing contract killer, Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski in 2000's The Whole Nine Yards. He starred opposite Matthew Perry in the film, who played the unhappily married, and soon way in over his head, dentist, Oz Ozeransky.
The pair developed a close bond during filming and both have reported the experience of making The Whole Nine Yards to be a lot of fun. But Willis was not convinced the movie would perform well.
In fact, Perry has revealed that such was his conviction, Willis bet him that if the movie did not flop, he would take on a guest spot on Perry's show Friends. The Whole Nine Yards ended up becoming a huge commercial success, earning more than $100 million worldwide and spending three weeks at the No. 1 spot in the USA.
And Willis being the stand-up guy he is, made good on his word.
Willis appeared in three episodes in season six, his character Paul Stevens frightening the life out of David Schimmer's Ross Geller and briefly romancing Jennifer Aniston 's Rachel Green. And the fact that he was only there because of a lost bet did not detract from his performance one bit. Not only was it a huge hit with fans, but it would also earn Willis an Emmy!
The amusing and endearing story was revealed in Matthew Perry's memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. Over the years, Perry has been open about his struggle with addiction, and writes of becoming close to Willis during filming despite his own personal demons. He explained that while Willis liked to party, he himself was an addict and lacked the ability to stop the way Willis did. But there is no envy from Perry, having nothing but kind words to say:
"…the real Bruce Willis — a good-hearted man, a caring man, selfless. A wonderful parent. And a wonderful actor. And most important, a good guy."
An unlikely friendship, a lost bet, and history was made, with fans being gifted another brilliant performance from Willis.
Sadly, Willis has retired from acting for medical reasons. But he has filled screens and hearts with unforgettable characters and firmly cemented his legacy as one of the greatest actors ever.